Black Travel Vibes: Relax On The Colorful Shores Of Komodo Island – Essence

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Theres not a day that goes by where you can scroll through social media without seeing photos of travelers exploring Bali. The magical island paradise is definitely a big hit with its lush rice paddies, awe-inspiring temples, sandy beaches, and cultural vibes. But theres more to Indonesia than its most famous destination.

At last count, Indonesia was made up of 14,752 different islands, and out of those, one location that many seem to skip over when planning their adventure is Komodo Island. An hour flight from Bali (tickets can cost as little as $90), Komodo is a ruggedly stunning island filled with namesake dragons and relaxing pink sand beaches that will fill your friends back home with envy with every photo.

Social media manager Helena (@helzzzrich) recently went island hopping around Indonesia and the beauty she shows off in her images have us ready to move a visit to Komodo Island to the top of our wish lists. If youve been looking for an alternative to the typical Bali adventure, check out tips from our exclusive guide and discover a side to Indonesia youve never seen.

Welcome to Komodo Island

Part of a chain of Indonesian islands located an hour flight from Bali, Komodo Island is home to the 3m-long Komodo dragon monitor lizard, as well as crystal clear waters, stunning hillsides, and sandy pink beaches. The best time to visit the island is between April and December during the dry season when the sun isn't as strong.

Home Away From Home

Since Komodo and the surrounding islands aren't as tourist-friendly as Bali, accommodations aren't as plentiful. Luckily Ayana Komodo Resort (sister property to the IG famous Ayana Resort in Bali) is around offering a home away from home for guests looking to explore the area.

World Famous Eats

There are so many flavors for your tastebuds to explore when it comes to Indonesian cuisine. From Sambal and satay to nasi goreng, you'll never go hungry. But the one local food that was once voted one of the world's most delicious meals is rendang, a spicy red meat dish, so don't leave without getting a taste.

Dragon Hunter

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Black Travel Vibes: Relax On The Colorful Shores Of Komodo Island - Essence

Grand Island woman not interested in $4.5 million lottery win – Grand Island Independent

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An 86-year-old Grand Island woman received a letter saying shes expected in a Madrid office next month to collect millions of dollars in lottery winnings.

The woman, Beverly Seielstad, is highly skeptical of the letter, which informed her that shes the lucky winner of $4,550,000. She is expected to make some payment of her own before she becomes a millionaire.

Seielstad called Grand Island police, who advised her to send the letter to the Nebraska Attorney Generals office. She complied.

Seielstad is concerned that some people might lose some of their savings in hopes of bringing home the $4 million. People who pay the initial fee, she says, will be waiting an awfully long time.

So I think it should be in the newspaper to warn people not to fall for it, she said.

After receiving the letter, Seielstad called her cousin, who used to be the president of a bank near Omaha.

The cousin remembered customers who were so excited that theyd won all this money. Some of the customers wanted to withdraw all of their savings to get their hands on the winnings. With their interest in mind, the bank refused.

Seielstads letter came from people at the Mega Millions Lottery, who were delighted to inform her that shes the winner of a drawing held on Oct. 15.

This is a tax-free draw and all participants are selected through a computerized drawing involving more than 40 million people worldwide, the letter says.

In order to start the process of collection, Seielstad was told to contact the Foreign Service Manager/Remittance officer of Safeway Securities in Madrid.

If she cant make it to Spain, she must put in her claim before Nov. 30.

If the trip to Spain isnt feasible, a home delivery and insurance fee will be paid by the winner to a diplomatic agent in the United States.

The letter indicates that 5 percent belongs to Safeway Securities because they are the promotion company.

If a transfer is made to the winners bank account, you will be responsible for the cost of the transfer, the letter says.

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Grand Island woman not interested in $4.5 million lottery win - Grand Island Independent

Love Island’s X Factor stars needed therapy to work through their trust issues – Mirror Online

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You would have thought all that time in the Love Island villa might have brought the Celebrity X Factor group No Love Lost closer together.

Apparently not. Mentor Simon Cowell has sent Wes Nelson , Zara McDermott , Samira Mighty and Eyal Booker to therapy to work on their trust issues with each other.

Simon called in professional therapists, explains an insider.

There are a few problems behind the scenes which need to be ironed out, and so the pros were involved who could address these issues and make them more of a unit.

One bonding exercise involved the All or Nothing singers being blindfolded, falling backwards and trusting the others to catch them. But model and influencer Eyal, 24, denied a rift.

He revealed: Despite us spending 16 hours together a day and writing our own tracks in the studio until after midnight, the show got us doing some bonding exercises.

We found the whole thing hilarious. We didnt think we could get any closer but it goes to show we are the strongest weve ever been as a band.

They need as much help as they can get. Bookmakers Coral have revealed No Love Lost are 2-1 to be given the chop.

Interviewer Martin Bashir is facing worse odds of 1-2, while TOWIE star Megan McKenna has odds of 50-1 she will be next to leave the ITV show.

Perhaps those falling exercises will help prepare the Love Islanders if they do crash out on Saturday.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webtv@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033

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Love Island's X Factor stars needed therapy to work through their trust issues - Mirror Online

On a Greek Island, a Bookstore With Some Mythology of Its Own – The New York Times

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SANTORINI, Greece On a wall above rare first editions, old maps of this volcanic island and a stained linen lampshade, a painted timeline traces the evolution of Atlantis Books from a wine-drenched notion in 2002 into one of Europes most enchanting bookstores.

A terrace overlooks the Aegean Sea. Bookshelves swing back to reveal hidden, lofted beds where the shops workers can sleep.

Somewhere along the way, word spread that visiting writers too could spend summer nights scribbling and snoozing there, and the owner began receiving emails requesting a bunk at earths most stunning writers colony, on an island Plato believed was the lost Atlantis.

But the writer-in-residence program was also a Greek myth.

The idea was not to come here to write the great American novel, it was to sling books, Craig Walzer, the stores owner, said. You are here for the bookshop first.

Over the last 15 years, as cruise-ship hordes and souvenir schlock have overrun the village of Oia on Santorinis northern tip, Atlantis Books has become an unlikely oasis of authenticity and cultural sanity.

Yellowed pages and shelves fashioned from driftwood give off a musty smell. The soundtrack on a recent visit shifted from Beck to the BBCs commentary of the Wimbledon mens final. Customers sidestepped the shop dog, Billie Holiday, to peruse just-so offerings (Plato: Cool as a Cucumber) from the stores own press of classics.

Have you read Rilke in Paris? Sarah Nasar, a veteran of Shakespeare and Company, asked one customer as Mr. Walzer steered a skeptical boy away from The Little Gray Donkey to a childrens version of the Iliad.

Boys being boys, Mr. Walzer described the plot of Homers epic.

Bibliophiles around them leafed through a lovingly curated collection of fiction, poetry, essays and rarities. A first edition of F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, minus one of the rare-book worlds most sought-after dust jackets, was on sale for 6,000 euros beneath a label reading I must have you, a nod to the novels opening epigraph. Behind the register sat a 1935 edition of James Joyces Ulysses, illustrated by Matisse, and an exceedingly rare first edition of Charles Dickenss A Christmas Carol. It was listed at 17,500 euros.

Thats a big boys book, Mr. Walzer said.

Expensive rare books sell well here, Mr. Walzer explained, partly because the island has become a popular destination for people who have way too much money, but also because honeymooners and other visitors often want to take home something more meaningful and less common than a diamond bracelet, say. Books offer tourists something tangible and not digital, he added; theyre not just another posed photo in front of the sunset.

Right on cue a customer interrupted to ask whether pictures were allowed in the store: Its so cool.

Sure, Mr. Walzer said.

Almost despite itself, the shop has become a tourist attraction. That is especially strange for Mr. Walzer, who for years called the cozy place home. He alternated beds. One is hidden behind shelves now displaying copies of Homers Odyssey and the Harry Potter series in ancient Greek. The other one (the master bedroom, Mr. Walzer called it) sits above the German section. That spot is now occupied by one of the stores employees, Katie Berry, a 22-year-old graduate in English from Harvard (Surprise, she deadpanned) who was spending her third summer sleeping amid the stacks.

This is clearly where the visiting-writer legend began, and Mr. Walzer, who moved to a neighboring town in 2017, wanted to clear up some other misconceptions.

The shop is run by him, a 38-year-old Memphis native who keeps barbecue sauce in the back fridge and who affectionately uses the words chief and dude, not by a twee old British man whom many tourists ask to meet. Atlantis is not the oldest and smallest bookstore in Europe. Harry Potter was not set here. Ernest Hemingway did not write here.

And yet, the story of Atlantis is not without its mythic elements.

It has a muse-inspired (O.K., booze-inspired) origin. Mr. Walzer and a friend came up with the idea during a visit to the island during a break from Oxford in 2002. It has a great journey: a van ride with fellow founders from Britain to Santorini, during which Mr. Walzer read John Steinbecks East of Eden, the tattered copy of which is kept in the back like a talisman near a signed, plastic-wrapped galley of Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace.

It has no shortage of twists and turns. An original location below the ramparts of a 13th-century castle built by Venetians closed, and the founders were forced to rebuild the shop in a ruined captains house. Love interests came and went. (Love Stories, for Suckers reads the label in the stores romance section.) One of Mr. Walzers drinking buddies, the author Jeremy Mercer, injected a dose of deus ex machina in 2005, when The Guardian asked him for his favorite bookstores and he topped his list with Atlantis.

We had no business being on that list, Mr. Walzer said. Now I think we do.

And Mr. Walzer himself stands in as the tortured hero. He left the island in 2005, enrolled and dropped out of Harvards Kennedy School and its law school, then went underground essentially in New Orleans. He found his way, and returned to Santorini and his bookshop for good in 2011. Survival led to success, but as the shop flourished the real estate fates descended. In 2015, landlords threatened eviction unless Mr. Walzer came up with a million euros to counter an apparent offer on the building.

But since international coverage at the time raised the alarm that Atlantis could be lost again, Mr. Walzer hasnt heard back from the dreaded landlords. He said he is still operating without a lease.

One day the bell will toll, he said. But not today, because its Sunday afternoon.

And it was a lovely one. As he sat on the stores terrace, with the shimmering Aegean filling the Caldera on one side and tourists flowing like lava down Oias narrow sunset boulevard on the other, Mr. Walzer rolled a cigarette. He looked with contentment at the sea and the people scanning a blue shelf of used books.

The challenge used to be selling books. Now its finding the books to sell, he said. We figured it out.

Moments later, his phone buzzed. Billie Holiday had vomited by the Bs in the fiction section. He excused himself to help clean up. It took a lot, he noted, to make this mythical place.

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On a Greek Island, a Bookstore With Some Mythology of Its Own - The New York Times

Final Bannerman Island Tour Set For This Weekend – wpdh.com

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One final tour has been added for Bannerman Island for 2019 so Hudson Valley residents can check out a unique perspective of the fall foliage.

The Estuary Steward will depart this Saturday from the Beacon Waterfront from the Beacon Institute Floating Dock at both 11 AM and 12:30 PM. Tickets are $35 for adults and $30 per child. Tickets can be obtained by calling (845) 203-1316.

Proceeds from tours and events on Bannerman Island go towards the restoration and reconstruction of structures on the island. In recent years the former Bannerman family home was restored as a visitor center, towers and walls have been stabilized and sidewalks have been replaced.

Expect more tours, movies, plays and other special events when Bannerman Island springs back to life this spring. For more information on how the island's restoration came about, you can visit their website.

Did you know: Whilemost call the island Bannerman Island, its true name is Pollopel Island. It's called Bannerman after Francis Bannerman VI who used the island as storage for his military surplus business and is responsible for the construction of the castle structure and home.

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Turks and Caicos Private Island Ambergris Cay Unveils Villas With Upgraded All-Inclusive Perks – Robb Report

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Home to some of the worlds most beautiful beaches and turquoise blue waters, Turks and Caicos has long been a beloved Caribbean destination for sun and relaxation. Comprised of 40 isles, the archipelago is mostly known for Providencialesbut just a quick 18-minute flight from that main hub is a lush paradise known as Ambergris Cay, a private island thats perfect for anyone looking to disconnect and recharge. When the resort opened last December, it came with 10 standalone suites set right on the beach. Now, the hideaway is gearing up to debut sumptuous villas that are fit for families and groups.

One of the new villas at Ambergris CayPhoto: Courtesy of Turks & Caicos Collection

Launching in November are three sunrise-facing villas that will be available for rent, with more to come in the following months. The expansive abodes span more than 6,000-square-feet, and have either three- or four-bedroom configurations that sleep up to eight guests. Interiors are mostly white to capture the natural sunlight, but are accented with vibrant pops of color in the form of ikat pillows, Acapulco chairs, and decorative vases. Each of the quarters are outfitted with their own en-suite bathrooms. while the master has the added bonus of a large tub and an outdoor shower. There are also plenty of common spaces for everyone to lounge around in, including a living room, a dining area with a full kitchen, and a furnished patio with a heated pool.

The living room of a new Ambergris Cay villaPhoto: Courtesy of Turks & Caicos Collection

What makes the dreamy home-away-from-home experience even better is an exemplary all-inclusive concept. With your villa stay, all food and beverage, including 24-hour room service and top-shelf spirits, will be covered, and youll also receive butler service and complimentary use of the resorts tennis courts, non-motorized sports, and runabout boats. While that all sounds pretty standard for any all-inclusive package, Ambergris Cay takes it several steps further by offering round-trip air transfers from Providenciales International Airport, catered lunches on one of the nearby deserted islets, and activities such as fitness trail workouts with the islands firemen and lobster catching excursions from August to Marchall gratis. This may just be one of the best deals for a private island vacation youll ever come across. Rates in high season (December 20 through Easter break) start at $5,600 per night for two people; additional guests are $560 per person, per night. Kids 12 and under stay, play and eat for free.

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Turks and Caicos Private Island Ambergris Cay Unveils Villas With Upgraded All-Inclusive Perks - Robb Report

Lord Howe Island rodent eradication program on track for success as last bait traps laid – ABC News

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Updated November 01, 2019 12:19:57

Lord Howe Island could soon be declared a rodent-free zone, as a controversial baiting program comes to an end.

The rodent eradication program (REP) started on the popular tourist island in June and involved cereal pellets laced with poison being placed inside 22,000 lockable traps around the island.

Inaccessible areas were targeted by aerial drops of the same bait.

At the time, it was estimated there were 150,000 rats and 210,000 mice on Lord Howe some 1,000 rodents for each of the island's 350 residents.

Today, the last of the poisonous pellets will be placed into traps, marking the end of the baiting program.

The traps will soon be collected and taken away, which will take about a month.

"We are running exactly as planned," said Peter Adams, chief executive of Lord Howe Island's board.

"You get a rapid reduction in the number of rodents at first, and then you get a few little blips of activity, so that's exactly what's happened here.

"Yes, we believe it will be a successful eradication," he told the ABC

The island will be monitored for two years, and if no rats or mice are spotted, the area will be declared a rodent-free zone.

"Let's say there was a pregnant female, or a breeding pair left somewhere out there, it would take some time before that becomes obvious," Mr Adams said.

"It's such a rugged and inaccessible island in many ways."

The baiting was deemed safe for humans, but as a precaution, residents were told not to consume local eggs, milk or the livers of fish.

A supply of the rat poison antidote, Vitamin K1, was also brought to the island, but Mr Adams said it wasn't needed.

"Not a symptom, not a concern at all, so while the hospital was ready with all the things they needed, there was absolutely no need for it," he said.

There were also concerns two endemic species of bird, the Lord Howe Island woodhen and the currawong, might be particularly at risk of eating the bait.

The former is an endangered bird, which was nursed back from the brink of extinction on the island in the 1980s only a few hundred exist.

The species were taken into captivity while the REP took place placed in cages and looked after by staff from Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

"We've made sure that any animal, any bird, that was found dead, has been autopsied and tested," Mr Adams said

"We've had way less deaths from non-target species than was expected, or in our permits, that's been really encouraging," he said.

"All of the currawongs have now been re-released back into the wild the woodhens won't be released until all of the bait has been retrieved from the bait stations."

It is thought mice first appeared on Lord Howe Island around 1850, and the rats came later, after escaping from a sinking ship off the coast in 1918.

They've played a role in the extinction of several species of plants and animals.

Despite that, the REP has been a controversial issue among islanders.

Some didn't want it to go ahead, fearing it would do more harm than good, killing native animals.

Tensions boiled over earlier in the year, when a fight took place between two locals.

"There'll always be skeptics but I think things have settled a lot, and people really do hope that it has been successful," Mr Adams said.

Topics:animals,human-interest,animal-welfare,pests-diseases-and-control-methods,control-methods,pest-control,pests,local-government,government-and-politics,community-and-society,lord-howe-island-2898

First posted November 01, 2019 05:14:22

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Lord Howe Island rodent eradication program on track for success as last bait traps laid - ABC News

Trick or treat! Its already Christmas at the Staten Island Mall – SILive.com

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- What did the Staten Island Mall dress up as for Halloween? Christmas.

The New Springville shopping hub is already oozing Christmas spirit with gigantic trees positioned inside at the Center Court and outside in The Plaza.

Theyre not holiday trees, said James Easley, the Malls senior general manager. "Theyre Christmas trees.

And jolly old St. Nick is just a day away from returning to his digs at the Mall to take pictures with fans starting Friday.

Folks also can expect an extra dose of the holiday season to be sprinkled throughout the dining area, Easley said.

The Staten Island Mall's outdoor Christmas tree, seen here by The Plaza (near Shake Shack).

On the morning of Saturday, Nov. 16, the Mall will bloom into peak holiday mode with its annual Santa arrival parade. Easley said the event will begin before the shopping sites 10 a.m. opening to allow families to easily navigate the New Springville complex, but no official time has been set.

This event has become so popular that we decided to give Santa free rein of the Mall on a Saturday morning so he can spread the magic dust around and light up the tree, Easley wrote in an email to the Advance.

The Mall is no stranger to jumping into the holiday spirit: Last year, the Christmas trees were up by Oct. 21.

SILive.com staffer Victoria Priola stopped by the Mall on Wednesday evening to check out the sights. You can watch her Facebook Live below, with a friendly warning: Guys, dont get triggered. But Santas workshop is up.

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Prince Charles set for emotional Solomon Islands trip in bid to tackle climate change – Express

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He will visit the islands after his tour of New Zealand and Tuvalu, on the November 24 and 25. The visit will focus on ocean preservation and climate change, and will see the Prince of Wales launch both a national ocean policy and a malaria elimination roadmap. Charles will meet with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and other leaders in Honiara and will get the chance to see first hand and discuss the serious environmental problems currently facing the islanders.

They have been severely impacted by global warming, which has seen rising sea levels and more frequent and destructive cyclones.

This has led to more and more land being submerged by sea water, forcing communities to abandon their homes.

John Kaia from one of the islands told the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that: Climate change has not only affected the weather, it has affected everything, the people, the sea, the land, even the food we eat has changed.

"People's lives have already changed so much."

The Prince of Wales is a passionate environmentalist and has spoken out about climate change, as well as deforestation and ocean pollution over the past 40 years.

A statement on his official website bears witness to the Princes passion for his cause.

It reads: The Prince has promoted sustainability to ensure that the natural assets upon which we all depend among other things soil, water, forests, a stable climate and fish stocks endure for future generations.

Moreover, he has repeatedly said that the world must act to avoid potentially devastating consequences when it comes to climate change.

JUST IN

Prince Charles aides 'ban stars of Netflix drama The Crown'

The Princes commitment and dedication to his environmental causes, as well as to his various charities such as the Princes Trust led to him receiving the prestigious 2017 GCC Global Leader of Change award.

On presenting Charles with his award, Livia Firth, Founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age, said:

I am delighted we had an opportunity to recognise a statesman who has truly made a difference to many peoples lives through his work and given us insights to not just the issues, but solutions that can add value to people and planet.

His establishment of the Princes Trust alone is formidable and I have huge respect for someone who is the highest example of what at Eco-Age we call an active citizen.

The Prince will have a busy November, as he will also be visiting India.

He is to undertake a solo official visit to the country next month as part of his Autumn tour.

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Prince Charles set for emotional Solomon Islands trip in bid to tackle climate change - Express

One New Thing to Check Out on Every Hawaiian Island From new stargazing opportunities to exclusive – msnNOW

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thedaintyheart / flickr Stars Above Haleakala, Haleakala National Park, Maui, HI

Looking for something new in Hawaii? Heres one thing from each island to check out on your next trip:

Haleakala Stargazing (Maui)

A side effect of the on-going TMT protests is that the visitor center at the top of Mauna Kea is no longer accessible, and thus, the nightly stargazing events once held are now no more. With no end in sight, those looking to experience the beauty of the night sky in Hawaii will have to look elsewhere for opportunity.

In what seems like good timing, a new stargazing tour has launched on Maui that takes you on an 8-hour journey to the top of Haleakala for sunset, dinner and stargazing. Rooted in Hawaiian history and culture, the tour explains Haleakala from a Hawaiian point of view and educates on the night skyspecifically how Ancient Hawaiians relied on the stars for navigation and how it led them to Hawaii in the first place.

Hotel Makeover (Lanai)

After four years, the old Lodge at Koele will reopen after a refresh as The Four Seasons Hotel Lanai at Koele, a Sensei Retreat. The revamp, which cost $75 million and took several years, is the result of a cooperation between Four Seasons and a wellness company called Sensei, which was founded by Larry Ellison, who owns Lanai.

Each guest of the hotel is assigned a Sensei Guide who helps plan the stay; the goal is for you to come out better rested than you went in (aka, you wont need a vacation to rest from this vacation). With rates of more than $900 a night and a three-night minimum stay, the hotel falls in line with Lanais luxury-only tourism plan, offering upscale travelers personalized, tailored, exclusive experiences.

Kilohana Plantation Rum Tour (Kauai)

Looking for local libations? Check out the new Rum Safari tour at the Kilohana Plantation. Ride through the old plantation grounds in an open-aired vehicle, take a stroll through a tropical forest, sample Koloa Rumwhose tasting room is located on the propertyand then enjoy cocktails made with fresh herbs and fruit grown on the plantation.

New Lava Tube Options (Big Island)

The tour isnt brand new itself, but the focus of it takes on new meaning in light of the 2018 eruption that closed down the Thurston Lava Tube, one of Hawaii Volcano National Parks most famous attractions and perhaps the best, most easily-accessible example of the volcanic underworld. Now that its closed, there arent many options for people looking to explore lava tubes, the plumbing of the volcanoes that transport lava long distances underground.

The Volcano Unveiled Tour from Hawaii Forest & Trail takes groups onto otherwise inaccessible, privately-owned land into the depths of Kauhi Cave, a 500-600 year old lava tube thats known for its bright, vibrant yellow walls, skylights, lava remelt and hanging tree roots. Those looking to understand and explore lava tubes now that Thurston is closed should consider the tour.

Mokio Preserve (Molokai)

The Molokai Land Trust has a new baby: the Mokio Preserve. Containing more than 1,700 acres and occupying about 5 miles of coastline, 95 percent of the Preserve is currently occupied by non-native specieswhich, the Land Trust, of course, has set out to change.

Plans call for the reintroduction and repopulation of native species, as well as the creation of a sea-bird nesting sanctuary. Visitors to Molokai can get involved in the project by volunteering a half or full day, and in return be introduced to the native environments and local people, including access to private land and unique views of the island. That might sound like an unusual way to spend your vacation, but its the way they want it on Molokai.

The Halepuna Waikiki (Oahu)

The Waikiki Parc Hotel on Oahu has been transformed and rebranded into the Halepuna Waikiki, which is now accepting reservations as it reopens this fall. In addition to a full refresh, the renovations included the addition of a full-service, all-day bakery-style caf, the Halekulani Bakery and Restaurant, as well as a collaboration with the Honolulu Museum of Art property to create a luxurious yet boutique dcor.

WATCH: How to experience Maui's magic without the crowds (provided by Travel + Leisure)

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One New Thing to Check Out on Every Hawaiian Island From new stargazing opportunities to exclusive - msnNOW

Love Island star Amber Gills reaction to exes Greg and Michael hanging out is all of us – cosmopolitan.com

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So, in this weeks most unexpected news, Love Island stars Michael Griffiths and Jordan Hames headed along to the O2 Arena to watch Greg O'Shea play in a rugby tournament. What do two out of three of them have in common aside from the whole Love Island thing? That would, of course, be Amber Gill.

On Wednesday night, Michael posted a video of himself to his Instagram Story as he cheered on Ambers ex in the stand. Showing fans that the pair even got the full and fancy VIP treatment at the game, Jordan posted a snap of the trio all posing together on the pitch.

"Top 3 villa boys supporting my guy @gregoshea at @rugbyxofficial tournament last night," Jordan wrote next to it.

In timing a little too suspicious to just be a coincidence, Amber cryptically wrote on Twitter: "Im screaming."

Of course, she could have been screaming at a variety of things, but were fairly certain it relates to Michael and Greg hanging out together. Were they even that close in the villa?

After Michael recoupled with Joanna Chimonides, Greg swooped in and took Amber for a date and the pair went on to win the 50,000. Michael was so shocked by Amber winning the show with someone else, he wrote on his Instagram Stories at the time: "Oh s***, oh s***, I did not expect that," before later adding: "Wow. Congratulations to these two."

So, basically, yeah, they were never besties and we're totally screaming too.

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I Want This To Be A ‘Taking,’ Even Though It’s Not – Above the Law

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(image via Getty)

Imagine having your home invaded by an armed criminal, escaping with your nine-year-old child, having the police show up to apprehend the criminal, watching for 19 hours as the police systematically destroy your home, and having the state deny you just compensation for your troubles afterwards.

If doesnt sound like something covered under the Fifth Amendments Takings clause, then the Fifth Amendment needs to be amended.

Maybe one day it will be, but for right now Colorado man Leo Lech is out of luck. The Tenth Circuit ruled that the police action which destroyed his home is not a Taking, and thus hes not entitled to any remedy from the city or state. The Washington Post has the story:

The suspect, Robert Jonathan Seacat, had stolen a shirt and a couple of belts from a Walmart in neighboring Aurora, Colo., and then fled in a Lexus, according to a police affidavit. A police officer pursued him in a high-speed chase until Seacat parked his car near a light rail station, hopped a nearby fence leading to the interstate, and then crossed five lanes of traffic on foot. He climbed the fence on the other side and then, shortly thereafter, came upon the Lech residence.

A 9-year-old boy, John Lechs girlfriends son, was home alone at the time, waiting for his mom to return from the grocery store, Lech said. He told police he was watching YouTube videos in his room when he heard the alarm trip, according to the affidavit. He emerged to find a man walking up the stairs, holding a gun. He said, I dont want to hurt anybody. I just want to get away, Lech said. Minutes later, the boy walked out of the house unharmed

Thus began the 19-hour standoff.

They proceed to destroy the house room by room, by room, by room, Lech said. This is one guy with a handgun. This guy was sleeping. This guy was eating. This guy was just hanging out in this house. I mean, they proceeded to blow up the entire house.

Ive watched action movies, I know how this goes. The cops have the criminal surrounded but the bad guy is well defended. Mel Gibson saunters in with a rocket launcher. The property owner, Shooter McGavin, shouts CAREFUL! My Ming Dynasty vase is worth more than your entire family! Mel Gibson fights his way through the house, destroying everything but the vase, finally cornering and arresting chief henchman Tony Todd. Just then, trainee Michael Cera comes busting through the fourth wall in a bulldozer. The vase topples over. Later, back at the station, police chief Jeffrey Wright seen looking over a bill chews out Gibson and Cera for the wanton destruction that is costing the city millions. Fellow officer Kiefer Sutherland, who is actually the mole and the real criminal mastermind, is seen consoling McGavin with a giant check.

Except in real life, there is no check. Shooter McGavin never gets paid. The Takings clause doesnt cover property destruction caused by law enforcement as they are trying to enforce the law. The Tenth Circuit explains:

[T]he Lechs urge us to disregard the distinction between the police power and the power of eminent domain in resolving this appeal. In support, they point out that the Takings Clause was designed to bar [g]overnment from forcing some people alone to bear public burdens which, in all fairness and justice, should be borne by the public as a whole. Aplt. Br. 13 (quoting Armstrong v. United States, 364 U.S. 40, 49 (1960)). And they argue that upholding the district courts summary-judgment ruling would do just that: it would force the Lechs to bear alone the cost of actions the defendants undertook in an effort to apprehend[] a criminal suspectactions that were clearly for the benefit of the public as a whole. Id. at 13, 33.

We do not disagree that the defendants actions benefited the public. But as the Court explained in Mugler, when the state acts to preserve the safety of the public, the state is not, and, consistent[] with the existence and safety of organized society, cannot be, burdened with the condition that the state must compensate [affected property owners] for pecuniary losses they may sustain in the process. 123 U.S. at 669. Thus, [a]s unfair as it may seem, the Takings Clause simply does not entitle all aggrieved owners to recompense. AmeriSource Corp., 525 F.3d at 1152, 1154.

Accordingly, we reject the Lechs first broad challenge to the district courts ruling and hold that when the state acts pursuant to its police power, rather than the power of eminent domain, its actions do not constitute a taking for purposes of the Takings Clause. And we further hold that this distinction remains dispositive in cases that, like this one, involve the direct physical appropriation or invasion of private property.

I do not think that just compensation for the destruction of property unduly burdens the police in their pursuit of enforcement. Its not like the officers have to pay for the damage out of their own pockets. The taxpayers do. And you dont have to shroud yourself too darkly behind the veil of ignorance to imagine that taxpayers should want to share the collective burden of destruction pursuant to an arrest, as opposed to localizing those cost on one unlucky individual. However, if local and state officials were kind of sick of paying the costs of police property destruction, and that filtered down to the point where police were a little more cautious before destroying an entire house to catch a shoplifter, that would also be a good thing.

The Tenth Circuit appears to be right on its interpretation of Fifth Amendment precedent, which means Im going to need (gulp) progressives and conservatives to help change the law here. That should be possible, right? Progressives are woke to the fact that police have entirely too much power to harm innocents without accountability, conservatives allegedly care when big government does anything to mah property. Surely we can reach some kind of broad consensus that if the cops shoot up your house because it was invaded by a criminal, the state should pay you back for it.

We should fix this. I cant imagine James Madison thought it was okay for the government to nuke your house from orbit because a petty thief commandeered your kitchen.

Police blew up an innocent mans house in search of an armed shoplifter. Too bad, court rules. [Washington Post]

Elie Mystal is the Executive Editor of Above the Law and a contributor at The Nation. He can be reached @ElieNYC on Twitter, or at elie@abovethelaw.com. He will resist.

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I Want This To Be A 'Taking,' Even Though It's Not - Above the Law

Pelosi’s Rx pricing bill might be unconstitutional, congressional researchers say – The Daily Briefing

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Provisions in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) bill (HR 3) that aims to reduce prescription drug prices in the United States might violate the U.S. Constitution, according to a memo issued last week by Congressional Research Service (CRS) that was obtained by news outlets.

Your cheat sheets for understanding health care's legal landscape

The bill, called the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, includes several provisions intended to lower U.S. drug prices. For instance, the bill would allow the HHS secretary each year to negotiate prices for high-cost drugs that lack two generic or biosimilar competitors on the market. The bill would allow the HHS secretary to negotiate prices for between 35 and 250 high-cost drugs each year.

The bill would establish a drug price ceiling for the negotiations based on the prices paid for the drugs in other countrieswhich is somewhat similar to a White House proposal that would tie payments for drugs covered by Medicare Part B to certain international prices.

Pharmaceutical companies that refuse to negotiate prices with HHS would face a 65% tax on the drug's annual gross sales from the previous year. That penalty would increase by 10 percentage points for every quarter that a deal remains unstruck, with the penalty maxing out at 95%. If a drugmaker negotiates a price with HHS but then overcharges Medicare or does not provide other payers the negotiated price, HHS could levy a civil penalty equivalent to 10 times the difference between the negotiated price and the offered price.

The bill also would set limits for prescription drug price increases. The bill would require pharmaceutical companies to either lower the prices of drugs covered by Medicare Parts B and D if the drugs have experienced price hikes at rates above inflation since 2016, or pay a rebate worth the entire difference in the price above inflation to the Department of the Treasury. The bill states that setting the base year of inflation as 2016 would reverse unjustified price increases that have occurred over the past three years.

Further, the bill would create an out-of-pocket maximum of $2,000 for prescription drugs covered by Medicare Part D.

In addition, the bill would require that the copayment for a drug under participating employer-sponsored health plans not exceed the negotiated price, require federal investigators to examine the effects of price negotiation and extending the inflation cap to employer-sponsored plans, and ensure data collected under the bill is not duplicative.

The bill also would increase Medicare Part B reimbursements for biosimilars for five years. Under current rules, Medicare Part B reimburses providers a 6% markup of a biosimilar's average sales price, but the bill would increase that rate to an 8% markup of the drug's average sales price.

The bill also includes new price transparency requirements for drugmakers and expanded eligibility for the low-income subsidies offered in Part D.

CRS in its memo wrote that the bill's proposal to require the HHS secretary to negotiate drug prices, as well as its proposed fines for companies that refuse to negotiate prices with HHS or that negotiate a price but then overcharge Medicare or fail to provide the negotiated price to other payers, might violate the Constitution's Fifth and Eighth Amendments and might not be in line with Congress' taxing authority granted by the Constitution.

For example, CRS in the memo notes that the provision to require the HHS secretary to negotiate drug prices might violate the Fifth Amendment's so-called "Takings Clause," which prohibits the federal government from taking property without "just compensation." According to CRS, pharmaceutical companies could point to the clause to argue that any revenue losses they experience as a result of price negotiations is considered a "taking" under the clause, and therefore is unconstitutional. "In general, if legislation causes a claimant's property to suffer a significant diminution in value or a deprivation of economically beneficial use, the legislation may result in a regulatory taking," CRS wrote.

But CRS also noted that "it is generally difficult to prevail on a takings challenge," so companies might not be successful in challenging the bill based on the Takings Clause.

According to STAT+, "perhaps the most problematic portion of the sweeping" bill that CRS flagged is its proposed fines on pharmaceutical companies. CRS raised questions regarding whether Congress has the power to levy the fines, noting that although courts have granted Congress significant flexibility when it comes to its taxing authority, its authority to levy fines as taxes is not as substantial.

CRS wrote that it believes "Congress likely has the constitutional authority to impose the excise tax," but said the issue would have to be determined by judges. However, CRS noted that, even if Congress does have the power to implement the fines as a tax, they might be considered "excessive" under the Eight Amendment's clause on excess fines.

But CRS again noted that pharmaceutical companies might have a hard time convincing a judge that the fines are excessive. "Ultimately, even if certain factors suggest the excise tax is disproportional, it is unclear whether a court would consider the excise tax to be grossly disproportional to the gravity of a drug manufacturer's offense given the fact-intensive nature of the inquiry, the deference courts afford to Congress in this area, and the absence of on-point case law," CRS wrote.

Overall, CRS did not make a definitive conclusion on whether the provisions violate the Constitution, stating that a final decision on the matter would have to be made by a judge.

According to STAT+, a spokesperson for the House Energy and Commerce Committee said, "We've consulted with legal experts and firmly believe the legislation is constitutional." The spokesperson added, "Any lawyer can argue against a bill's constitutionality, but that doesn't mean those arguments have merit."

House Ways & Means Committee spokesperson Erin Hatch said, "The excise tax this bill would impose on drug manufacturers that continue to charge Americans higher prices than patients in the rest of the world falls squarely within Congress' taxing authority," Inside Health Policy reports.

According to STAT+, Amy Hall, staff director of the House Ways & Means Committee's Subcommittee on Health, also said, "We do not believe that this bill is in violation of the constitution."

But some federal lawmakers have raised concerns over the potential constitutional violations, and have cited the issue as a reason to delay further consideration of the bill, STAT+ reports. For example, Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.) last week said, "These things do get litigated," adding, "Perhaps it might be opportune to take a pause, [and] have further hearings on the central constitutional problems."

According to Inside Health Policy, some Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns that the fines might be excessive, with Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the ranking member on the House Ways & Means Committee, equating them to "extortion."

The bill is facing other challenges, too, as House Democrats have disagreed over an amendment added last week to the bill that would require HHS and other federal agencies to examine whether imposing inflation-tied caps on prescription drug price increases in Medicare could be extended to employer-sponsored health plans. According to Politico's "Pulse," House Democratic leaders have expressed concerns that the amendment's language is too weak, but progressive lawmakers have said they already have compromised with Democratic leaders on the language. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), said, "Any action to pull this amendment would be disconcerting, since this could not have happened without leadership input."

According to Inside Health Policy's "The Regimen," House leaders have delayed a floor vote on the bill that was planned for this week to give Democratic lawmakers more time to discuss amendments to the legislation (Cohrs, Inside Health Policy, 10/25 [subscription required]; Florko, STAT+, 10/25 [subscription required]; Anderson, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/25; Diamond, "Pulse," Politico, 10/28; Wilkerson, "The Regimen," Inside Health Policy, 10/28 [subscription required]).

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Pelosi's Rx pricing bill might be unconstitutional, congressional researchers say - The Daily Briefing

How The Future Of Californias Power Grid Hangs On The Constitutionality Of Inverse Condemnation – Forbes

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Governor Gavin Newsom tours a home destroyed in the Kincade fire, Friday, October 25, 2019, in ... [+] Geyserville, California. (Karl Mondon/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)

Two million Californians without power; 200,000 evacuated from the path of the Kincade fire in Sonoma County, believed to have been sparked by a broken jumper cable on a PG&E power line. California Governor Gavin Newsom is sure of whos to blame. This week he condemned the utilitys decision to shut off power to residents in fire-prone areas. As it relates to PG&E, its about dog-eat-dog capitalism meeting climate change, he said. Its about corporate greed meeting climate change. Its about decades of mismanagement. Its about focusing on shareholders and dividends over you and members of the public. Its a story about greed. Newsom said Californians could not accept these blackouts, and he would fine the utility $100,000 per day for rule violations.

Threats and name-calling are unlikely to be effective. PG&E, in court documents filed last week in its ongoing bankruptcy case, made clear its position that until courts and lawmakers change what the utility sees as unconstitutional state laws, northern Californians will have little choice but to suffer more forced power outages when the wind gusts.

At issue here is something called inverse condemnationits a legal doctrine that holds utility companies like PG&E to a strict liability standard. It doesnt matter if a fire starts by accident or negligence, if it happens on the companys equipment, then the utility is responsible for damages. The application of inverse condemnation to California utilities goes back to court decisions in the 1960s and 70s. And for decades investor-owned utilities, like PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, were okay with the law, because the courts held that they could socialize the burden by hiking electricity rates enough to cover any unexpected costs, thus spreading the pain around evenly. When PG&E, for instance, had faith that regulators would let it socialize fire damage across its 16 million customers, it didnt feel such a need to shut off power across a broad territory to lower the already remote likelihood of a fire breaking out.

But a few years ago, the status quo changed. A legal briefwritten by attorney Kevin Orsini from Weil, Gotshal & Manges and submitted October 23, jointly by both PG&E and its creditors to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Californiaexplained that a watershed moment for Californias investor-owned utilities came in the wake of a 2015 decision by the California Public Utilities Commission, in which regulators turned down requests by SDG&E for $379 million in cost reimbursements for 2007 wild fires sparked by their lines. A higher court upheld the rejection. And with that, no longer could the power companies be confident in passing along fire costs.

The seriousness of this change was realized over the next few years. The Tubbs fire hit Santa Rosa, California, in October 2017; it burned 36,000 acres, destroyed 5,600 structures and killed at least 22. It was considered the worst fire in state history until 2018 when the Camp fire broke out in Butte County. It burned 150,000 acres, incinerated 19,000 buildings and took 86 lives.The infernos left PG&E with more than $30 billion in fire liabilities that it had little hope of spreading across its rate base.

Firefighters look on as a structure burns during the Kincade fire off Highway 128, east of ... [+] Healdsburg, California, on October 29, 2019. (Photo by Philip Pacheco / AFP) (Photo by PHILIP PACHECO/AFP via Getty Images)

According to court filings, PG&E shareholders hope to be rescued from oblivion by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment provides that no private property may be taken for public use without just compensation. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the purpose of this is to prevent the government from forcing some people alone to bear the public burdens which, in all fairness and justice, should be borne by the public as a whole. The Fourteenth Amendment furthermore protects against arbitrary or irrational deprivations of life, liberty or property by government entities.

If PG&E were allowed to recoup fire costs from ratepayers, then all would be constitutional. But thats not how it works today, according to PG&Es brief:

Because PG&E has no guaranty that it can spread any losses it is forced to pay as a result of inverse condemnation claims, the application of inverse condemnation to PG&E is nothing more than the transfer of private property from one private entity (PG&E) to another (the inverse plaintiff) without any compensation, let alone just compensation. This uncompensated taking of PG&Es property violates the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution (as incorporated against the states by the Fourteenth Amendment) and the California Constitution. . . . Without a guarantee that PG&E can recover inverse condemnation costs, the imposition of such strict liability through a doctrine premised on socialization of losses constitutes an unlawful taking without just compensation, and an arbitrary and irrational process that violates the Debtors substantive due process rights.

With $30 billion-plus of fire liabilities hanging in the lurch, PG&E has every incentive to fight Californias application of inverse condemnation all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if needed. If it prevails, Californians will need to gird themselves for even higher electricity prices. Divvying up existing fire liabilities would cost the average PG&E customer about $2,000.

Among Californias investor-owned utilities, PG&E is most exposed, with half of its 70,000-square-mile territory in high-fire-risk zones, it has had three times more fires per mile of power lines than SCE or SDG&E, according to analyst Hugh Wynne with SSR. Its unlikely the utility will survive these fires, at least in its current form.

Before the Kincade fire broke out in Sonoma County last week, the judge in PG&Es bankruptcy case had allowed the parallel development of dueling reorganization plans offered by the company as well as its major creditors. Hearings are scheduled to continue into 2020. PG&E, for its plan, had lined up $34 billion in debt financing and would have paid $8.4 billion to fire victims and $11 billion to insurers, while maintaining a nugget of value for common shareholdersall contingent upon the avoidance of a devastating 2019 fire season. Bondholders, meanwhile, pitched a plan that would pay out $25.5 billion to victims and insurers, but would wipe out shareholders. All this is up in the air now that the Kincade fire has burned 75,000 acres and is encroaching upon the towns of Windsor and Healdsburg, with another round of ferocious winds forecast.

Will they have to scrap the plans and start over? Too soon to tell, but the Kincade fire has already burned 75,000 acres and 150 structures. Given that cropland and pastureland in California averages between $3,000 and $12,000 an acre, according to the USDA (more for Sonoma Valley vineyards), its likely that PG&E will be on the hook for hundreds of millions in additional damages.

Is there any hope for PG&E shareholders, like Abrams Capital Management, Knighthead Capital and Redwood Capital Management, which reportedly bought shares earlier this year above $6.50 only to ride them down to a current $4.50 (down from $70 in 2017)? Probably not. PG&Es equity market cap of $2.4 billion is overwhelmed by $75 billion in total liabilities, including about $22 billion in long-term debt, according to Factset. The biggest debtholders include PIMCO, with about $4 billion, Elliott Management $1.6 billion, Varde Partners $990 million and Apollo Global $700 million, according to court documents. Assets on PG&Es balance sheet total $83 billion.Damages for the Tubbs fire have yet to be fully tallied.

And if the company cant convince the court its rights have been violated? California lawmakers could come to the rescue and write a new interpretation of inverse condemnation, heeding the recommendation of this years Final Report of the Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery which found that:

The current interpretation of inverse condemnation, holding utilities strictly liable for any wildfire caused by utility equipment regardless of standard of care or negligence, imperils the viability of the states utilities, customers access to affordable energy and clean water, and the states climate and clean energy goals; it also does not equitably socialize the costs of utility-caused wildfires.

Among other recommendations, the commission suggested replacing the strict liability interpretation of inverse condemnation with a fault-based standard. Such reform could save a sliver of value for shareholders and pay off big for owners of PG&Es debt.

If reform doesnt happen, it could push the company to sell assets in a reorganization that could put much of the company in the hands of new municipal power utilities, owned by the public rather than investors. But dont think that the outright socialization of Californias power grid would keep electricity rates lower. Unlike the investor-owned utilities, municipalities already have the ability to levy new taxes on residents, and wouldnt require the blessing of the Public Utilities Commission to use inverse condemnation to hit ratepayers with the costs of future fires. One way or another, if Californians want to keep the lights on, theyre going to have to pay for it.

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How The Future Of Californias Power Grid Hangs On The Constitutionality Of Inverse Condemnation - Forbes

Obituary: Robert Evans, legendary movie mogul who backed such hits as The Godfather and Chinatown – The Scotsman

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Robert Evans, actor and producer. Born: 29 June, 1930 in New York, New York, United States. Died: 26 October, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California, United States, aged 89

Robert Evans, the fast-living Hollywood producer and former Paramount Pictures production chief who backed such seminal 1970s films as Chinatown, The Godfather and Harold and Maude, has died at the age of 89.

His career was a story of comebacks and reinventions. Evans had launched a successful womens clothing line with his brother, Charles, and was visiting Los Angeles on business when actress Norma Shearer saw him sunbathing by the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She persuaded producers to hire the handsome, dark-haired 26-year-old to play her late husband, movie mogul Irving Thalberg, in Man of a Thousand Faces, a film about horror movie star Lon Chaney.

After acting roles faded, Evans re-emerged at Paramount and quickly converted the studio from a maker of mediocre films to the biggest hit machine in Hollywood, home to The Godfather and Love Story among others.

For decades, and with many flops in between, the ever-tanned, large glasses-wearing Evans was one of Hollywoods most outsized and flamboyant personalities, encapsulating the romance of a now bygone movie era where films were greenlit more on instinct than market research. He was married and divorced seven times. He was the model for Dustin Hoffmans petty-minded Hollywood producer in the 1997 satire Wag the Dog.

The higher you get, the lower you can fall, Evans mused in a 2003 interview. You pick yourself up at the count of nine, you come back and win and be done with it. I believe in being a survivor.

The title of his 1994 memoir, The Kid Stays in the Picture (later turned into a 2002 documentary) came from an early story of his improbable success.

After he appeared in Man of a Thousand Faces Darryl Zanuck signed Evans to a contract at Twentieth Century Fox and cast him as a bullfighter in The Sun Also Rises. The filmmakers insisted the young actor wasnt right for the role, so Zanuck went to Mexico City, where the film was being made, to see for himself. His verdict: The kid stays in the picture.

It was Evans who optioned The Godfather while Mario Puzo was writing it. As Paramount chief, Evans presided over Francis Ford Coppolas production but his role in the movie, itself, has sometimes been exaggerated including by Evans, himself. But Coppola, recalled Evans fondly this week, recollecting the producers charm, good looks, enthusiasm, style and sense of humour.

He had strong instincts as evidenced by the long list of great films in his career. When I worked with Bob, some of his helpful ideas included suggesting John Marley as Woltz and Sterling Hayden as the Police Captain, and his ultimate realization that The Godfather could be two hours and 45 minutes in length, said Coppola, also noting Evans contributions to The Cotton Club.

May the kid always stay in the picture, added Coppola.

Evans was born Robert J Shapera in New York, the second son of Archie Shapera, a dentist, and his wife, Florence, a housewife. He began acting in radio while in junior high school, going on to appear in more than 300 shows.

After The Sun Also Rises, Evans left Hollywood to join his brother in the clothing business, but was lured back in 1966 when Zanuck offered him a three-picture contract as a producer. That same year Paramount Pictures hired him to head production.

From 1966 to 1974 Evans presided over such hits as The Odd Couple, Rosemarys Baby and Goodbye, Columbus. He was a pivotal figure not only restoring Paramount but in a halcyon period of auteur-driven moviemaking, backed storied directors including Sidney Lumet, Hal Ashby and Peter Bogdanovich.

Albert Ruddy, who won an Oscar as producer of The Godfather, credited Evans with filling an essential role in the pictures success. When Paramounts head of distribution objected to the nearly three-hour running time, Evans backed up the filmmakers and insisted that the movie not be cut. He said, Ill quit before I cut the movie, Ruddy said. He saved the movie.

Evans didnt share in Paramounts prosperity, however. He wasnt granted any bonuses, and his string of marriages and divorces drained away much of the money he did make. After brief marriages to actresses Sharon Hugueny and Camilla Sparv, he married MacGraw, who became a star with her performance in Goodbye, Columbus. She gave birth to Evans only child, Joshua. MacGraw became a superstar after Love Story, then went off to Texas to spend four months making The Getaway with Steve McQueen, with whom she had one of Hollywoods more notable affairs. She and Evans divorced in 1972 and he married former Miss America Phyllis George in 1977. They split a year later.

Meanwhile, Evans had formed his own production company, and he quickly turned out one of the biggest hits of 1974, Roman Polanskis Chinatown. It earned Evans his lone Oscar nomination.

The next decades brought a period of failures, however, including Coppolas The Cotton Club, and the Chinatown sequel The Two Jakes and the thrillers Sliver and Jade. In 1980 he pleaded guilty to cocaine possession and was placed on a years probation.

In 1983, he was called to testify at a preliminary hearing in the murder of a Cotton Club investor, Roy Radin. On the advice of his lawyers, Evans pleaded the Fifth Amendment. Although he was never connected to any wrongdoing, his refusal to testify to avoid self-incrimination further sullied his reputation.

He had a near-fatal setback in 1998 when he suffered a stroke in a Hollywood screening room.

A bolt of lightning shot through my body, he told a reporter later. I thought I had died. I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing Its a Wonderful World.

Evans underwent a grueling rehab, but still found time for his fifth wedding, this time to Oxenberg. The marriage barely lasted longer than the couples five-day courtship. My fault, Evans said afterward. My brain wasnt working right.

Wedding No. 6 occurred in 2002. The bride was Leslie Ann Woodward, a model and actress. Divorce followed a little more than a year later. In 2005, Evans married Lady Victoria White, a socialite 33 years his junior. At the time he had just finished his second memoir, The Fat Lady Sang, and he told Time magazine that with this marriage, I finally found the last chapter. But he and White also divorced, in 2006.

Evans last movie as a hands-on producer was a hit: the 2003 romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

JAKE COYLE

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Obituary: Robert Evans, legendary movie mogul who backed such hits as The Godfather and Chinatown - The Scotsman

Inyoung You: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know – Heavy.com

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Suffolk County District AttorneyInyoung You has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend, Alexander Urtula, who died by suicide at Boston College in Massachusetts on his graduation day.

Inyoung You is a 21-year-old South Korean woman who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the suicide death of her boyfriend, Alexander Urtula, at Boston College. The 22-year-old Urtula died by suicide on his graduation day on May 20, 2019. Prosecutors say You, a former BC student, was physically, verbally and psychologically abusive toward Urtula during an 18-month-long tumultuous relationship.

You was indicted by a grand jury on October 18, 2019, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins announced on October 28. She has returned to South Korea and dropped out of Boston College during her junior year, Rollins said.

Rollins office said in a statement, The abuse became more frequent, more powerful and more demeaning in the days and hours leading up to Mr. Urtulas death.

Urtulas family had traveled to Massachusetts from his native New Jersey for his graduation, which was held at Alumni Stadium on the Boston College campus. But Urtula jumped to his death from the Renaissance Park Garage in Roxbury at 8:35 a.m., two hours before he was set to graduate.

You was tracking Urtulas location using his iPhone on the day he died, as she frequently did, Rollins said, and she was at the Renaissance parking garage and present on the roof when he leapt and killed himself.

If you or someone you know has been affected by domestic violence and are in immediate danger call 911. In addition, a free 24/7 statewide support line is available through SafeLink at 1-877-785-2020, Rollins office said in a statement. To be connected to additional resources you can also contact the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office at 617-419-4000 and ask to the Chief of the Victim Witness Advocate Unit. You are not alone. Help is available.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are confidential. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line, which provides 24/7 support with a trained crisis counselor. You can also call the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) helpline at 1-800-950-6264, or text NAMI to 741741. NAMI also has programs for family and caregivers that provide education and support.

Heres what you need to know about Inyoung You and the suicide death of Alexander Urtula:

The investigation into Alexander Urtulas death was led by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which operates the Renaissance garage, and the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office, according to the DAs press release. Investigators searched Urtulas cell phone after he died and said they learned about the abusive nature of his communications with Inyoung You, his girlfriend of 18 months.

This unrelenting abuse was witnessed by friends and classmates of both parties and documented extensively in text messages between the couple, and in Mr. Urtulas journal entries, the district attorneys office said.

According to prosecutors, In the two months prior to his May 20 death, the couple exchanged more than 75,000 text messages, of which Ms. You sent more than 47,000. Many of the messages display the power dynamic of the relationship, wherein Ms. You made demands and threats with the understanding that she had complete and total control over Mr. Urtula both mentally and emotionally. Her texts included repeated admonitions for Mr. Urtula to go kill himself to go die and that she, his family, and the world would be better off without him.

Rollins said at a press conference that You specifically told Urtula to kill himself hundreds to thousands of times in text messages. There were many, many instances in which she instructed him to do so, Rollins said.

The district attorneys office said You used manipulative attempts and threats of self-harm to control Urtula and to isolate him from friends and family. According to prosecutors, You was, aware of his spiraling depression and suicidal thoughts brought on by her abuse. Even still, she continued to encourage Mr. Urtula to take his own life.

Suffolk DA Announces Indictment Of Ex-BC Student In Boyfriend's SuicideSuffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins announced Monday that a former BC student from South Korea has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the suicide death of her boyfriend last May.2019-10-28T16:07:09.000Z

Students come to Boston from around the world to attend our renowned colleges and universities. They are eager to learn and experience our vibrant city. Their families and loved ones do not expect them to face unending physical and mental abuse, District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement.

According to prosecutors, The indictment alleges Ms. Yous behavior was wanton and reckless and resulted in overwhelming Mr. Urtulas will to live; and that she created life-threatening conditions for Mr. Urtula that she had a legal duty to alleviate, which she failed to do.

Rollins added, I would like to thank my staff, especially Assistant District Attorneys Caitlin Grasso and Cailin Campbell, who have led this investigation and carefully considered how to bring this unique case to trial where a jury will ultimately decide if Ms. You caused Mr. Urtula to take his life. The work of the MBTA Transit Police was invaluable.

Superintendent Richard Sullivan of the MBTA Police Department said at a press conference, I personally responded to this scene back in May and what appeared to be a self-inflicted horrific tragedy ended up being much more than that.

Former Boston College Student Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter In Boyfriends SuicideWBZ TV's Louisa Moller reports.2019-10-28T16:12:30.000Z

Inyoung You was studying economics at Boston College and was scheduled to graduate in 2020, according to her now-deleted Linkedin profile.

It is not clear if You has hired an attorney or if she has, who is representing her. She could not be reached for comment by Heavy.

Rollins said at a press conference, This case is a tragedy, but its just one example of a systemic epidemic. On a typical day there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hot lines nationwide. Domestic violence does not discriminate. It effects individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or nationality. Domestic violence does not manifest in one particular way. It can be forced isolation from friends or family, physical assault, stalking, economic coersion, emotional threats, sexual assault and psychological intimidation.

Rollins added, Domestic violence is not perpetrated by one type of abuser. A perpetrator is not limited by their gender or the gender of their partner. Domestic violence may not always look the same, but it is always about power and control.

Inyoung You and Alexander Urtula were both members of the Philippine Society at Boston College, according to the groups Facebook page. You served as the groups treasurer in 2017. The Philippine Society of Boston College (PSBC) is an organization that celebrates the beauty and richness of the Filipinx culture, the group says on Facebook.

Urtula, who graduated from Regis High School in Manhattan, studied biochemistry at Boston College. He had worked as a research assistant at Brigham and Womens Hospital while still at BC, according to his Linkedin profile. He is survived by his parents and brother.

After his death, Joy Moore, the interim vice president of student affairs at Boston College, said in a statement, Alexander Urtula, from Cedar Grove, New Jersey, was a biology major in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, who had completed his course work in December. He was working as a researcher in a hospital in New York, and had planned to attend Commencement Exercises today.

Moore added, Alexander was a gifted student who was involved in many activities while at BC, including the Philippine Society of Boston College. While today is a day for celebration, we ask you to take a moment to remember Alexander, his family, and friends in your prayers during this most difficult time.

Rollins said it was an incredibly tragic event, where his family was present from New Jersey waiting for him to arrive and there were a series of correspondence between him and his family where ultimately they learned he intended to do this.

She said they were waiting to watch him graduate and his family never got to do so.

Inyoung You could be extradited to the U.S. if she does not return to Massachusetts and surrender voluntarily to authorities, according to prosecutors. But Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said she is cautiously optimistic that You will return on her own.

Additional information about the allegations against Ms. You will be provided during her arraignment, which this Office is working with her counsel to coordinate, Rollins said.

She said, There are any number of ways that we could try and extradite her back from Korea. There are also ways that we could look at possible Interpol red notices. But we are fully fluent of the ways we can get her back if she doesnt want to voluntarily. We are hopeful, but cautiously optimistic, that she will return on her own, but we are moving forward with this case.

Involuntary manslaughter is a felony and carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in state prison, according to Massachusetts law.

The case has drawn comparisons to the Michelle Carter case, which also occurred in Massachusetts. She was accused of encouraging her boyfriend, 18-year-old Conrad Roy, to kill himself when she was 17, in July 2014. She was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Carter, now 22, was found guilty by Bristol County Juvenile Court Judge Lawrence Moniz and sentenced to 15 months in prison. She is currently serving that sentence and is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2020.

Carter appealed her conviction to the Massachusetts Supreme Court, but her appeal was denied. Her lawyers have petitioned to the U.S. Supreme Court asking for it to be considered on First Amendment and Fifth Amendment grounds.

Carter sent text messages to Roy as he attempted suicide, pushing him to kill himself, according to prosecutors. The case was the subject of an HBO documentary I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter, in 2019.

The Massachusetts legislature is currently considering Conrads Law, a bill that would criminalize suicide coercion in the state, according to Boston.com.

Rollins mentioned that possible law and added, Of course were aware of the Carter decision, this a distinct fact pattern, there are similarities that the culriprits are both the girlfriends in those circumstances. Where I would distinguish, and I think the facts will show, in Carter there was very limited physical contact prior and some very egregious language in the moments leading up to the death. We have, quite frankly, I would say the opposite of that. We have a barrage of a complete and utter attack on this mans very will and consience and psyche by an individual to the tune of 47,000 text messages in the two months leading up and an awareness, we would argue, of his frail state at that point.

READ NEXT: Accused Killer Posts Grisly Photos of Teen Girl on Instagram

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Peter Thiel says Elon Musk is a ‘negative role model’ because he’s too hard to emulate – CNBC

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Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir.

Photographer | CNBC

Facebook board member and Presidential Donald Trump supporter Peter Thiel called Elon Musk a "negative role model" because his many innovations make him difficult to emulate.

Thiel, who called himself a "good friend" of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, made the comment during a debate on stage at UCLA's Internet50 event Tuesday. Thiel was debating Robert Metcalfe, a professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin, on the question, "Has true innovation stalled?"

Thiel argued in the positive, while Metcalfe took the other side.

"Elon is the counterexample" to the argument that true innovation has stalled, Thiel said, comparing him to former Apple CEO Steve Jobs as a singular great innovator.

"It's a very weird thing where that the go-to story is we have one person who helped develop electric cars and reusable rockets," Thiel said. "But if you tell a young person, 'Why don't you be like Elon?' it's a negative role model where the basic response is, 'Well that's too hard, I can't do that.'"

Thiel said it may be easier to suggest that a young person "start a computer internet company from your college dorm room," which could be an allusion to Facebook's origin story.

Thiel and Musk go way back: Thiel is the co-founder of PayPal, which later merged with Musk's financial services company.

WATCH: Elon Musk's new underground tunnel project will transport cars at 125 mph

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Tesla is unveiling a 3rd version of its solar roof this week, Elon Musk says – Business Insider

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Tesla plans to unveil a third version of its solar-roof product, CEO Elon Musk said on the company's third-quarter earnings conference call Wednesday evening.

"Tomorrow afternoon we will be releasing version three of the Tesla solar roof," the CEO said at the end of his prepared remarks. "I think this is a great product. Versions one and two we were still figuring things out version three is finally ready for the big time."

Tesla's other solar-energy product, its more traditional solar panels, are under fierce scrutiny following a lawsuit from Walmart. The retailer claims Tesla's solar panels caught fire on the roofs of seven stores across the US. Tesla has not responded to requests for comment about the suit since it was filed but is required to respond to Walmart by Friday.

"There's no money down and you instantly save on your utility bill and there's no long-term contract," Musk said later on the call, in which Tesla also announced a surprise profit for the quarter, blowing past Wall Street's estimates."It's really a no-brainer. Do you want something that prints money? And if it doesn't print money, we'll fix it or take it back."

Musk also pointed to a recently released study by Zillow, a real-estate website, that said solar panels increased home values by about 4%.

Since Walmart's suit was filed, Business Insider reported the existence of a Tesla initiative called Project Titan. The move sought to replace as many faulty Amphenol connectors in previously installed solar equipment as quickly and quietly as possible.

Read more: Tesla solar panels have become a nightmare for some homeowners, especially for one Colorado woman whose roof went up in flames

Tesla told Business Insider at the time that its software-monitoring applications found that a "small number" of the connectors experienced failures and disconnections higher than their standards allowed.

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Tesla is unveiling a 3rd version of its solar roof this week, Elon Musk says - Business Insider

Elon Musk should send people to Mars on a keto diet to save money, according to a doctor who studies ketosis – INSIDER

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Before Elon Musk sends people to Mars, he might want to consult Dr. Stephen Phinney about what the space explorers should eat.

Phinney, a nutritional biochemist and chief medical officer of diabetes-reversal company Virta Health, has been studying nutrition, and particularly ketosis, for decades.

He's learned that it may be easier for some people to excel in extreme endurance pursuits if they carry lots of fuel in their bodies, as the keto diet allows, rather than on their backs, bikes or in their spaceships.

"It's going to cost a heck of a lot less to send people [to Mars] on a ketogenic diet," Phinney said at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' annual Food and Nutrition Conference on Sunday in Philadelphia.

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat eating pattern that forces the body to burn fat, rather than carbs, for fuel.

While the plan is controversial in the nutrition community, it's especially counterintuitive for endurance athletes, who have long been known to need quick energy in the form of carbohydrates.

Phinney cited several examples of elite endurance athletes who broke records after going keto, suggesting that part of the diet's power for them was the ability to stop carrying carbs in the form of bagels, bananas, and goos.

Space travelers could potentially benefit from this as well, he said.

Back in 2012, ultra-endurance runner Tim Olsen won a 100-mile race, taking 21 minutes off the previous course record. He switched to a keto diet in order to avoid the digestive distress he'd previously experienced consuming the necessary 6,000 calories in carbs on the course, Phinney said.

Olsen won again the next year.

Then there's Mike Morton, who set a record running the most miles (172.5) over the course of 24 hours, as well as Sami Inkinen and Meredith Loring, the couple who made history rowing from California to Hawaii in 45 days. All were "keto-adapted," meaning their bodies had learned to use fat for fuel.

Phinney also discussed research suggesting that the keto diet is at least no worse than a higher-carb eating plan for some endurance athletes.

In one of his studies, he and colleagues compared 10 elite ultra-endurance male runners who were eating a traditional high-carb diet to 10 other (physically similar) elite ultra-endurance male runners who were eating a low-carb diet.

Over the course of six months, the researchers found that the low-carb athletes used mostly fat as fuel while the higher-carb group's bodies used mostly carbohydrates.

Surprisingly, there was little difference in the two group's "resting muscle glycogen or depletion" during and after a three-hour run, meaning somehow the low-carb group's muscles were still able to store and replenish sugars without actually eating much sugar.

The results suggests athletes who are given long enough in this case, six months to get their bodies well-adapted to fueling with fat may be able to make what they need for fuel.

There's a healthy and unhealthy version of every eating plan. Shutterstock

Phinney and his fellow presenter Louise Burke, a sports dietitian who had a more cautious view of keto, said there's much more work to be done to understand exactly if, how, and why a keto diet can work for some endurance athletes, and to better understand why some people excel on it while others lag.

The overall takeaway is that "any diet can be followed in good and bad forms," Burke said.

Keto with plenty of vegetables and healthy fats is good. "Dirty keto" or "lazy keto" with a menu packed with "fat bombs" is bad.

"You've got to do it the right way if you're going to do it," she said.

Phinney isn't the only researcher to ponder the usefulness of keto in space. In 2017, a researcher tested the keto diet while participating in an undersea NASA experiment designed to simulate Mars living. His theory was that the diet could one day help protect people from the neurological risks of traveling in space.

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Elon Musk should send people to Mars on a keto diet to save money, according to a doctor who studies ketosis - INSIDER

Elon Musk’s hearing over Thai cave diver ‘pedo guy’ slur to begin amid ‘con man’ investigation – ABC News

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Updated October 29, 2019 06:13:20

An academic in South Africa has cast doubt on Elon Musk's defence that the term "pedo guy" is a common insult in Pretoria and therefore not defamatory, ahead of Tuesday's hearing and his legal counsel doubling-down on the stance to the ABC.

A Los Angeles court will decide on Tuesday (7:30am AEDT) whether to go ahead with a defamation case against Mr Musk, brought by British caver Vernon Unsworth, who played a key role in last year's Thai cave rescue operation.

In a television interview, Mr Unsworth suggested Mr Musk's offer to provide a submersible rescue pod was grandstanding and said Mr Musk "can stick his submarine where it hurts".

The founder of Tesla and SpaceX took to Twitter in response, ending a volley of angry tweets with "sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it" he later apologised and deleted the tweets.

Mr Unsworth sued two months later in a Los Angeles federal court, saying Mr Musk falsely branded him a paedophile and child rapist.

Mr Musk has not provided any evidence to back his allegation and is instead arguing that he relied on information provided by a private investigator which he did not know to be false at the time and did not intend to publicly brand Mr Unsworth a paedophile.

Mr Unsworth has strongly denied any accusation of paedophilia and has sued for defamation, looking for $111,000 in damages.

However, Mr Musk is trying to have the case thrown out before trial on several legal grounds.

"Mr Musk testified that 'pedo guy' was a common insult used in South Africa during his youth," wrote Mr Musk's attorneys, in court documents.

"It is synonymous with 'creepy old man' and aimed at mocking a person's appearance and demeanour, not an accusation of paedophilia," the attorneys wrote.

The ABC contacted several linguists from universities in Pretoria where Mr Musk lived until he was 17 years old to check the claim.

Most did not feel appropriately qualified to address the issue, but Molly Brown, the head of the Department of English at the University of Pretoria, said the term was not well known.

"I think I can confirm that 'pedo-guy' is not a commonly used insult in South Africa," she told the ABC.

"A quick look at the local twitter sphere confirms this the only tweets I can find in support of Mr Musk's assertion come from men who attended his school," she said.

"This might mean that the term was current in his particular school environment."

"I also think that just as most of us would rather die than dress as we did at school, so the average person abandons school slang as a means of public communication within a surprisingly short time after leaving school behind."

In a statement to the ABC, Alex Spiro, one of the lawyers representing Mr Musk, doubled down on the supportive tweets as evidence that "the term or insult 'pedo guy' was commonly used in Mr Musk's school in South Africa".

"Mr Musk deleted the tweet and apologised," he said.

While part of the legal appeal seems to try to distance Mr Musk from the paedophile allegation.

Mr Musk spent more than $US50,000 ($74,000) on a private investigator, who offered his services to "dig deep" into Mr Unsworth's past.

The investigator travelled to Thailand and sent back reports with unverified claims, which Mr Musk appears to have taken as fact.

"The investigator reported that Mr Unsworth was a fixture in Pattaya Beach, Thailand a locale notorious for prostitution and child trafficking, that he had a taste for young Thai girls," wrote Mr Musk's attorneys in the court documents.

The attorneys wrote that according to the investigator: "He whore-mongered his way through the go-go bars of Thailand, that his only friends were his 'sexpat' peers, and that he married his Thai wife when she was a teenager, after starting a relationship when she was a young girl."

Again, no evidence was presented to Mr Musk, or to the court in the recent documents.

In their response to the court, Mr Unsworth's lawyers say that, contrary to the investigator's reports, he met his wife in London in 2011 when she was 32 years old and he only made his first trip to Thailand to visit her in 2018.

"Like the bully that he is, Musk chose to lash out publicly at the criticism only by falsely attacking Unsworth, a relatively unknown individual, and publicly challenging him to sue for libel," Mr Unsworth's attorney Lin Wood wrote.

"Musk's motion is based principally on the antithetical bases that, on the one hand, he was not calling Unsworth a paedophile, while on the other hand, he did not harbour serious doubts as to whether Unsworth was actually a paedophile."

Based on these verbal reports from the so-called investigator, Mr Musk emailed comments to a BuzzFeed News reporter that were meant to be off the record, referring to Mr Unsworth as a "child rapist".

Mr Musk's lawyers are now arguing the billionaire should not be held liable for his comments because he did not believe them to be false.

"Because Mr Musk based this tweet on information concerning which he did not have serious doubts, Mr Unsworth cannot establish it was written with actual malice," wrote Mr Musk's attorneys.

"Although it turns out that the investigator lacked solid evidence of Mr Unsworth's behaviour, that does not matter here."

In their response to the court, Mr Unsworth's lawyers say Mr Musk did not vet the investigator, James Howard-Higgins, for reliability and say Mr Musk himself now acknowledges that Mr Howard-Higgins was a "con man just taking us for a ride".

The defamation case against Mr Musk has been set for December 2.

Topics:law-crime-and-justice,world-politics,thailand,south-africa,england,united-states

First posted October 28, 2019 15:45:27

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Elon Musk's hearing over Thai cave diver 'pedo guy' slur to begin amid 'con man' investigation - ABC News